Change your Air, Oil and Oil Filter

sk93 said:
Plus, the current lady is a carnut who actually suggested putting the table in the kitchen, so we would have enough room in the dining room to rebuilt the top end of my bike ;)
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I think I may have said this before, but she's what we'd call "a keeper" :P
 
One other optional step you can do to fend off oil starvation at initial start-up.

After you put the drain plug back in the oil pan, and before you put the oil filter cartridge in, pour some new oil on the cartridge, put the cartridge in and pour the rest of the bottle into the oil filter cartridge housing. This will minimize the the small amount of start-up starvation that happens after a oil change. It takes a finite amount of time for the oil pump to pressurize the system and allow oil to flow through the filter, and onto the rest of the system.
 
Good write up.

I have just used the guide section to complete the oil change, change the air filter, clean the MAF sensor, change all the spark plugs and finally clean the DISA. Was good fun and got to save paying £300 to BMW for the pleasure! As I was feeling frisky I also poured in a full bottle of redex so we shall see if the tragic 22.2mpg rises to over 25mpg.

So far I note the car is perkier, revs better and seems to have more low down torque. Only done 10 miles but definately nicer to drive and more responsive during the low end of the rev range.

MPG is where its at and I am keen to see a long overdue improvement!

Anyway, thanks again for the guide! :thumbsup:
 
This is great.

Problem is that you mention checking the oil level with the dipstick as you refill to bring it up to level before you start the engine, as would be normal practice.

My 3.0 Z4 has no dipstick, it has an oil level readout on the instrument panel whcih only gives the oil level after the engine has been running, Any idea how to work around this as you would not want to run the engine until you know you have a decent oil level - catch 22?
 
Excellent documentation... i'm going to change oil of my car but i've a stupid question:

how long did you wait to flow out the oil from the engine into the bucket? 24hours? ... or can i wait a few hours?
thanks and sorry again for the stupid question :oops:

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I like this write up and as evidenced by the comments helped a lot of people.

One tip I'd add:

If you undo the sump plug first before the oil filter and removing the rocker cap, then the oil will not flow out fast all over your hand while you undo the sump plug as it cannot drain freely. Secondly the oil will drain partly out of the filter bowl reducing mess and have longer to drip out while you do the other jobs.

Warming the engine up is more important than just making the oil flow as it gets all the dirt back into suspension and not left to be washed around in your nice clean oil
 
Shipkiller said:
One other optional step you can do to fend off oil starvation at initial start-up.

After you put the drain plug back in the oil pan, and before you put the oil filter cartridge in, pour some new oil on the cartridge, put the cartridge in and pour the rest of the bottle into the oil filter cartridge housing. This will minimize the the small amount of start-up starvation that happens after a oil change. It takes a finite amount of time for the oil pump to pressurize the system and allow oil to flow through the filter, and onto the rest of the system.
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i can't say that this is needed yes it gives piece of mind but it's not recommended in the repair instructions by bmw and the M54 and N52/3 have never really had any issues with bearings, if your really being anal about it remove the spark plugs and pull the fuse for the injectors crank it over for about 20 seconds a few times to get oil up into the head and saturate the oil filter element,

also i think you should mention that checking the oil level while the car is jacked up isn't such a great idea as it needs to be on flat ground..

as for the oil adding if you have allowed the car to drain with the oil filter removed until there is nothing more than a small drip from the sump drain the amount needed is excactly 6.5 litres on the dot

hope this helps :thumbsup:
 
cj10jeeper said:
I like this write up and as evidenced by the comments helped a lot of people.

One tip I'd add:

If you undo the sump plug first before the oil filter and removing the rocker cap, then the oil will not flow out fast all over your hand while you undo the sump plug as it cannot drain freely. Secondly the oil will drain partly out of the filter bowl reducing mess and have longer to drip out while you do the other jobs.

Warming the engine up is more important than just making the oil flow as it gets all the dirt back into suspension and not left to be washed around in your nice clean oil
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Thanks CJ - I will re-order the How-To so that we're taking the sump-plug out first.

It's pretty obvious when you think about it lol.
 
Gorbash12346 said:
as for the oil adding if you have allowed the car to drain with the oil filter removed until there is nothing more than a small drip from the sump drain the amount needed is excactly 6.5 litres on the dot

hope this helps :thumbsup:
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It is.. if you've drained absolutely everything correctly.
But as the old saying goes: Measure twice, cut once.

If you've got half a litre lying around in there and you add 6.5l to it.. then you're probably looking at an expensive repair bill.
So for the amount of time it takes to add 0.25l and then take a reading - I'd say it's well worth doing in the careful way :)
 
Shipkiller said:
One other optional step you can do to fend off oil starvation at initial start-up.

After you put the drain plug back in the oil pan, and before you put the oil filter cartridge in, pour some new oil on the cartridge, put the cartridge in and pour the rest of the bottle into the oil filter cartridge housing. This will minimize the the small amount of start-up starvation that happens after a oil change. It takes a finite amount of time for the oil pump to pressurize the system and allow oil to flow through the filter, and onto the rest of the system.
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Good point ShipKiller.

Whilst there aren't any reported bearing problems - it's always better to be safe than sorry :)
I'll add this recommendation to the HowTo.
 
On other cars I used to remove the fuel pump fuse and turn the engine on the starter a few times to help the oil move about following an oil change (also pre filled the filter with some oil), anybody do this on the zed?
 
volvos60 said:
This is great.

Problem is that you mention checking the oil level with the dipstick as you refill to bring it up to level before you start the engine, as would be normal practice.

My 3.0 Z4 has no dipstick, it has an oil level readout on the instrument panel whcih only gives the oil level after the engine has been running, Any idea how to work around this as you would not want to run the engine until you know you have a decent oil level - catch 22?
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Dont think this question was answered and I will shortly be in the same situation. What method does non dipstick owners use when changing their oil?
 
Superb write up :thumbsup:

sk93 said:
1x 36mm Socket (although I ended up using a 38mm, so skip to step 7 and check first if you need to buy one!)

Step 7
Carefully unscrew the oil filter cover using the 36mm socket and lift slightly, allowing the oil still in the filter to drain:
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Is anyone able to confirm if it's a 36m or 38mm socket for removing the oil filter cover? Just wanting to clarify before I go ahead and buy the wrong one...


I've already done an additional (outside of official servicing) oil/filter change at the start of this year (IMO 2 years is too long on the same oil) but I used my father-in-law's tools, etc. I'm now equipping myself for doing these oil changes and home and want to ensure I have the right bits before embarking on it...
 
It's 100% guaranteed a 36mm socket. Ideally get a 6 faced one so it doesnt round the corners of the cap 'nut'.
 
i m doing mine tomorrow, i got a small green o ring in my filter kit (bmw) have non of you changed this ? and my filter cap is 86 mm 16 sides ive brought a special tool for the job
 
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